Ender's Game Blog #4

The last three chapters of Ender's Game consist of many different atmospheres. First of all, Ender struggles with who he is and what his purpose is in life. He wants nothing more to do with battle even though he is the master of it. With the help of Valentine, Graff gets him to go and wipe out the buggers. He later does wipe them out, but is bothered by it because of the perfect manipulation behind the entire battle. It turned out to all be nothing but an evil plot to destroy a race that humans knew nothing about just because of a previous offence. Ender then goes off to find a new life and ends up in a world the same as his computer game. Through the game, the buggers were almost trying to say something to Ender, to tell him that they didn't want to attack, but to understand humans. Ender feels ashamed, but writes a book about the life and history of the race he single handedly destroyed. To me, this whole story was very endearing, and it helped me further understand the true evil of xenophobia. I realize that this is only a book, but it dirrectly applies to our every day life, and this book has many connections to our own human history. We humans are affraid of other humans that don't look the same as we do. We have attempted mass homicide before to eliminate a race that we knew nothing about. It is all really very tragic that people have to be that way toward others that are mysterious to us, and I think that this book was a very good example of that.

Ender's Game blog #3

During this portion read of Ender's Game, Ender becomes the commander for the Dragon Army. He recruits memebers into his army that have never fought a battle before and have no technique. This becomes a very important time for Ender becasue it is his time to show his leadership skills and rise above the commanders that he once had, and he can get the chance to teach kids quality fighting. His army then eliminates every other army in the school which makes Ender invinsable.
I feel that this portion of the book was more a transition into what is coming next for Ender. The hard part seems to have only begun for Ender becasue the real world needs his skill to be saved. I did enjoy this portion of the book and I'm excited to see what is next.

The Monsters are Due on Maple Street

“The Monsters are Due on Maple Street” was one movie that I found really entertaining in this class. It was one that definitely kept me thinking about what was going to happen, and why so many things were happening all at the same time. Though it may seem that these people acted out too much because of something stupid or crazy, I think it describes people perfectly.

Being in AP Psychology has given me a good insight on some of the reasons on why people do what they do. A term in psychology that is commonly used to describe memory is something called Source Amnesia, which is a condition people have with attributing to the wrong source of an event that we experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined. It is at the heart of many peoples’ false memories, because, for example, we tend to remember and believe what we want to believe which is why there are always two completely different sides and stories told in court about the same exact event. Also in psychology, there is a term called the Spillover Effect, which directly associates with fear, anger, or excitement. In an aroused state of fear, anger, excitement, or any other emotion involving a high amount of energy, people can become violent, form mobs, and cause damage as a ‘mob mentality’. People act out in a time of fear as a natural fight or flight symptom found in every species of the world. Like wild animals, when backed into a corner of uncertainty, we will attack each other, and our own morals.

These statistics relate to this story because it shows us an example of humanity’s own mentality. The people of Maple Street become frightened by their abnormalities, and begin to feel backed in a corner. Then, the kid in the story causes a catalyst effect by telling his town what he once read in a comic book creating it into Source Amnesia. People automatically became certain that what the kid said was happening to them, and they became so terrified, they butchered one another through the Spillover Effect.

In the end, the aliens were never on Maple Street, but rather, standing back and watching people accuse one another and go crazy. It was smart of them because like they said, every street is the same. Every street is Maple Street. To me, that is basic science of the mind. They are right however, because every person has those effects of blaming someone when something is uncertain, or if they don’t have answers.

Muse

In Muse by Dean R. Koontz, we as readers get a glimpse of the world in the distant future. Not only do we see the world from the outside looking in, but also on the inside looking out. In this reading, I not only saw examples of extrapolation in the world (the space travel through the galaxy and to new and undiscovered planets), but also the concept of xenophobia.

In the reading, the author writes a first person point of view of a man returning from his travels to a home that does not accept him, or his outside influences that he has picked up along the way. His father, and even some of his family’s friends are reluctant to embrace his new life, and kill his slug, “Icky”, and further ruining the life and talent of his son.

This story reminds me of a drug or alcohol addiction in our world today. Like Icky, it is a substance used by a human to form a sense of self or an out-of-body experience. People feel creativity while under influence of these substances, and the outside sees it as the bad that it is. People tend to feel more creative and  high while using it, but when they don’t have it, they fell somewhat lost. The difference between this story and today’s world of drugs and alcohol is that Leo had a symbiotic relationship with this creature that gave him confidence, it didn’t wear him down. It was a sort of a parasitic friendship that was more giving than receiving to one another. Leo gave Icky life, while Icky gave Leo talent, confidence, and the personality that he formed during his travels and the rise of his fame.

In the end, xenophobia was very real in this story because of the way people took in the creature. People seemed to feel flustered in the story, and suddenly thought different of Leo just because of Icky. Even his father thought differently about his son at the thought that this ‘thing’ is taking his son away. Leo was practically disowned by his father because of a relationship with something new and strange. I think that whether his father was right or wrong to kill Icky is up to the reader but honestly, it’s irrelevant. We as people tend to think of ourselves as superior, and reading stories like this just shows us our own arrogance with the unusual, and our own instinct of violence in a case of extreme fear.

Puppet Show

One thing that I found very interesting about the story “Puppet Show” by Fredric Brown was the way that the idea was introduced into people’s mind. By the use of a ‘puppet’, this idea of a master race and a grand relationship between people, nations, and worlds that could be possible. In the end, when the master race idea was planted into everyone’s head, people began to question the possibility of it. At one point, one of the people even said that ‘it was too good to be true’. In the end, it was too good to be true for them. The people feel a draw to this idea, and yet they feel disgusted with the idea of aliens coming and invading the world with new ideas for our civilizations all around the world.

Though people are all made equal, we differ greatly through means of our religion, ancestry, and culture. We are all people, but this idea of one race, one way of thinking and one harmony seems so unrealistic that people don’t want to believe it. No two people can agree on everything, and certainly, no entire planet can either. I feel that this piece was somewhat illogical, and kind of eerie. Nobody knew how to grasp the situation, and everyone had fear in the end. I feel that it is kind of ironic that an alien was telling people about xenophobia. It said that we do not have it strongly, and yet, wars have been fought, and people have died through the power of our xenophobia toward each other. For example, there are the Salem Witch Trials, slavery in the US and other parts of the world, and the holocaust all as reminders of our past mistakes. Yet, there is an alien telling us that as humans, we see no threat toward foreign planets or the taking over of our lifestyle.

It was definitely interesting also because of the way that it ended. The puppet just fell over dead, and the person running him was in a disguise. Then, he too went into the sand leaving the witnesses with skepticism, fear and probably the thought of ‘who can we trust’.

Ender's Game Blog #2

In the second portion that I read for Ender’s Game, I found a lot more depth to the story than the first. In chapters 6-9, I (as the reader) not only saw symbolism in Ender’s lifestyle and in his mental processes, but I also saw a dramatic change in every character that is in the story during the massive time lapse that occurs in especially chapter 9, Locke and Demosthenes. During this section of the book, not only does Ender change as far as curiosity goes, but also as far as attitude toward life goes.

In chapter 6, The Giants Drink, Ender is introduced to the null gravity, the suits, and the weapons. Because of everything that happens in this section, it feels funny going back and writing about this because it feels so long ago; by the end of this section, Ender is the master of the Gameroom. In the beginning however, we see that Ender is clumsy at it, but he is the first to try out the different positions and the feel of the disorientation. He adjusts quickly and with his new friend, Alai, they become the best of launchies, and friends. I believe that this is the start of his career as a military worker because it boosts his confidence as an individual, and as a soldier for the next chapter, Salamander. In chapter 7, he learns much, and becomes independent when he goes against his commander. Ender then goes into the next army, Rats, in chapter 8, and becomes one of the best fighters in the school. He meets his toon leader, Dink, and he grows into the leader because Dink will let him fight. Personally, I like Dink because of the excellent leadership qualities that he has that as a reader, I haven’t seen yet. He sees the corruptness behind the military school, and as far as I can tell, I believe that he is right. Dink also sees the strategies that Ender uses, and rather than viewing them as unusual, sees them as useful because they are unique.

In the New American Dictionary, a genius is defined as “an exceptional natural capacity of intellect, especially as shown in creative and original work”. I believe that Ender is what they have been saying, a military genius. Does that make him a monster? Ender wonders this very thing when he is nine years old in chapter 9. The thing about this chapter is the way the author went back to Earth, and the change happening within Ender’s family. Peter is more controlling than ever, he is smart, and he craves power. In addition to that, Valentine begins to help him with his bloody endeavors, and gets sucked into the trap that Peter has made among much of humanity through the net. On the other side of time and space, Ender is trapped in this game, and in his feelings of despair. He feels that he cannot escape his own mind, and I think that frightens him. Then, Valentine begins to question herself, and she realizes that she has abandoned his memory by getting sucked into the trap that Peter has set. In the end, Valentine goes back to her old self, and I think that Ender will be healed from his loneliness, and the motivation that we have seen up until now will be restored and drive him to do great things in his near future.

In these chapters, I am beginning to see this game as a symbol of Ender’s life and mind. There are places where he feels victorious, and places where he feels stuck and trapped.

Ender's Game Blog #1

At the start of the book, Ender was basically a nobody. He was the third child that his parents didn’t want, the brother his siblings didn’t connect to, and the “bugger” at school whom had no friends or reputation. What I found interesting however was from the start of the book, he was exactly the opposite of all those things. He is in fact very intelligent and independent. He knew that nobody would take care of him, and he passed the test when he lost the monitor.
After leaving his home, he immediately became an unusual student for the school. It was interesting how well he thought out his decision, how he responded with ‘I don’t want to but I will’, and how well he adapted to the life. He kept his distance from the other students because his intelligence helped him to connect these kids with the way that he was treated back home. He continues to depend on only himself, and he appears grateful for everything he has by not showing any weakness.
Another thing that struck me immediately was his desire to prove himself. Though he sits alone, he doesn’t mind. His focus is not making friends, but rather, to simply be remembered because of his talent and creativity. For example, he was remembered because of his intelligence and his capability of hacking into the computer system and humiliating Bernard. In chapter 5, Ender proved himself again when on his first three tries of the game, he beat an experienced and much older kid with his fast ability to learn, and a natural skill. Ender even says near the end of the chapter that they may not like him, but they will remember him.
I think that with Ender, there is some great irony beginning to happen. He is the one who least wants to be there and yet, he is the best leader that they have seen. He is the fastest learner, the most intelligent, and the best at demonstrating his strong points and hiding his weak points. But then, like I said, he is the one who wants to go home the most, and the one who does not want to fight. The only time he fights is to defend himself, and the only time he attacks is in moments of intense pain (at which time, he still shows no weakness).
Without a doubt, Ender is a leader. I know this for a fact because I have had experience in a leadership position. To be a leader is a much harder job than many think, and it is without a doubt a very lonely job at times. It requires much patience, and much humility more so than the ability to be strong and confident. A leader must be humble and very giving, even if that means getting nothing in return. I once heard a quote by an unknown author when I was in leadership training at UNC Greely in a summer course: “If you are a good leader, people will admire and respect you. If you are a great leader, people will admire and respect themselves”. I find that to be very true, and Ender finds many leadership qualities in these first few chapters that define that. For example, he was sticking up for those Bernard holds under his shoe by putting Bernard back into his rightful place without hurting him. He also showed leadership by taking chances, playing that boy in the game, and putting him back into his rightful place. Ender shows people time after time that every person is equal, and I think people will begin to admire and respect him and themselves as we go on in the story.
I am very much enjoying this book, and I am excited to see what happens with Ender as he continues to grow and learn as a student, and as an individual.